1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparel and more particularly to mask head coverings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The wearing of face masks or costume heads survives from ancient times. Full head costume masks have traditionally been made of paper mache, which may be dried to form a lightweight, semirigid mask, or from material alone, or combinations of material and wire or cardboard, etc. Recent patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,411 to Allen et al are directed to thin slabs of foamed elastomeric sections which may be folded together to form a head covering and which includes nose and mouth openings. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 2,914,772 to Lemelson which is a mask made of construction or the like paper with cutouts for eyes, nose, mouth and eyebrow features, which may be fastened, for example snapped on, the mask itself. U.S. Pat. No. 2,666,204 to Mafko discloses a face mask with an attachable nose which doubles as a noisemaker.
Armatures are not unknown in the costume art where, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,570 to Rodgers discloses reversable doll armature intended to support the head of the doll.
Notwithstanding the ancient history of masks, the large, over-the-head masks associated with, for example, animal costumes are still largely paper mache which has been painted or cloth covered for a permanent costume piece.
In the costume rental market or in circumstances in which a person may desire to wear a costume repeatedly, such as for a promotional appearance, the costume head becomes subject to wear and grime which is not easily removed and which renders the costume both unsightly and sometimes unsanitary.
Moreover, the costume masks of the aforementioned variety are generally expensive to create and there is therefore a limited market for them at a time when, conversly, the interest in costumes for parties or mardi gras celebrations is ever increasing.
There is, therefore, a need for a universal costume armature which adapts itself easily to a variety of costume masks or coverings yet which is easily assembled, adaptable to all sizes and figures of wearers, and which may be replaced without the necessity of replacing the expensive mask covering.